English Language
BA (Hons)

Overview

English is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world. Stand out to employers world-wide by developing your command of English to an advanced level and studying its sounds, structures and uses as a global language.

Shape the course to suit your future career with over 30 optional modules

Learn about globalisation and the spread of the English language as well as its history

Study the sounds and structures of different varieties of English

Work with students from as far afield as China, Brazil and Russia

Our BA (Hons) English Language degree will develop your ability to read, write and speak English to an advanced level – skills you can apply to many careers all over the world. It will also give you a detailed knowledge of the sounds and structure of English as well as an in-depth awareness of issues relating to intercultural communication.

English is a bridge language for many global cultures and essential for communicating in industry, business and politics. Discover how its use has spread and evolved in the medieval and modern world, as well as how we construct meaning from it. You’ll also learn about the connections between language and global issues such as migration, popular culture and ecology.

Our many optional modules will give you the chance to build a course that suits your own preferred career. You could focus on the technical aspects of English with topics such as phonetics and language acquisition, explore its cultural use in areas such as sport, writing and cinema, or prepare for a role as an English teacher with our various TESOL and TEFL modules.

You’ll also have the chance to broaden your career options even further by learning a foreign language from beginner or elementary level.

Careers

With a degree in English language, you’ll be ready for many careers in industry, business and politics all over the world. Our past students now enjoy successful roles in teaching, financial services, publishing, travel and tourism and import-export, among other things.

Modules & assessment

Year one, core modules

This module will introduce you to the concepts and terminology of semantics (the study of meaning in language) and pragmatics (the study of meaning in context), and give you the analytical tools to begin exploring the various sources of meaning. These sources include the inherent meaning of words and other linguistic expressions, their relatedness to other lexical items, the textual environment in which they occur, and the wider context and world-knowledge of speaker and listener (or writer and reader).
You will attend a weekly lecture and one-hour seminar, in which you will work extensively in small groups, provide peer feedback to your classmates and reflect on your own performance. The topic of the week will be introduced in the lecture and explored in the seminar discussion, for which you will be given a preparatory task.
Your assessment will consist of a portfolio of course work. For the first task (about 700 words) you will look at an individual word to explore etymology, connotation, collocation, semantic relationships and areas of pragmatic usage. You will receive feedback on this task to help you improve your performance in the second task (about 2,200 words), in which you will analyse a text for its semantic and pragmatic content, with reference to theories of meaning. You will also submit a short reflective statement about how you have used feedback on the first task to improve your performance on the second task. The key employability skill you will develop in this module is written communication, especially the ability to produce clear, well-structured paragraphs.

Empirical research aims to advance knowledge using evidence gained by direct observation through the senses, rather than deductive reasoning, abstract theorising or speculation. In the study of language, empirical research uses data from e.g. experiments, questionnaires or texts to investigate questions about the nature and use of language.
In this practical module you will be introduced to some of the methods used in the study of language, through participation in a class project. You will work collaboratively with other members of the class to answer a specific question about language by collecting data, analysing it and producing a report. This will involve using basic descriptive statistics, including graphs and tables, and appropriate software to produce them. You will also consider the ethical and legal implications of collecting data from human participants.
The module will be delivered through eight three-hour workshops. In preparation for each workshop you will be expected to read about some aspect of English language or empirical methodology and undertake a preparatory task. You will receive feedback on both this preparatory work and on tasks carried out in class, to help in the development of your final report. You will be assessed through a portfolio of coursework, which may include in-class tests, collaborative activities, peer evaluation and reflective response to feedback, in addition to the project report itself. Up to 20% of the mark will be a group mark, while at least 70% of the mark will be allocated to your individual final report. This module contributes to the development of your employability skills including self-management, teamwork, problem solving, communication and literacy, IT skills, numeracy and project management.

This module will give you insight into interpersonal communication in a culturally diverse world. You'll build on your own knowledge, your sense of identity, and your cognitive and communication skills, by examining your own culture and forming insights into the way cultural assumptions affect the behavioural judgements and communication codes of other cultures. You'll learn about the powerful effects group loyalties have on perception and understanding, explore the interplay of language, behaviour and cultural values, and examine some theories of cultural comparison. You'll also learn to recognise the signs of intercultural misunderstanding and culture shock, and the need to build common ground, communicating mindfully when necessary.

This module will introduce you to the system of sounds used in the English language, focussing on standard southern British English. Firstly, you'll learn how the various speech organs, such as the tongue and lips, are used to produce the range of sounds found in the language, how computer software can be used to visualise these sounds, and the terminology used to describe and classify them. Secondly, you'll learn to represent the sounds of English using the special symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). You'll be assessed by an in-class practical test, consisting of short answer questions about the nature and production of English sounds, as well as simple calculations and a transcription exercise in which you'll convert words from IPA to alphabetic spelling and vice versa.

This module will introduce you to practical and theoretical aspects of the study of language and society, including forms of address; sex and age differentiation in language; accent and dialect; education and employment; language disadvantage; language choice according to function in multi-lingual communities. In weekly lectures you'll discover the key theoretical, analytical and descriptive terms, then explore these issues through a mixture of practical and discussion tasks in workshops. You'll analyse data closely and consider the reasons for collecting, analysing and interpreting it, as well as the practicalities involved. You will then design your own original, hypothetical sociolinguistic project. You'll also write a discussion-based essay, giving you an opportunity to identify, reflect on and synthesise some of the key concepts involved in one or two of the topics covered.

This module will introduce you to concepts of globalisation. You'll be asked to consider how your daily life is affected by processes of globalisation and think critically about theoretical approaches to these processes. You'll cover the various dimensions of globalisation on a lecture-by-lecture basis, also exploring connections between topics. These dimensions/topics will include hard vs. soft globalisation; the globalised economy; the impact of globalisation on the nation-state; migration and diaspora; popular culture and patterns of consumption; and globalisation and ecology. You'll be assessed through submission of a 3,000 word essay.

Year one, optional modules

If your English language skills are at B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, this module will help you develop the linguistic skills required to study effectively in a university context, increasing your confidence in the use of the spoken English language and embedding your readiness for academic study. You will develop the accuracy, precision and fluency of your reading, writing, speaking and listening through a series of tasks that integrate the use of these four language skills, as well as enhancing your awareness of the grammatical and lexical (vocabulary) systems of English. In class, you will work extensively in small groups and pairs and will be expected to contribute to discussions and give short presentations based on your preparatory reading. You will study a wide variety of texts, extending your range of reading strategies in order to process written English, identify evidence or ideas and evaluate content effectively. The associated discussions, presentations and oral response tasks will provide you with practice and feedback to help you improve the accuracy and fluency of your spoken production. The module will also help you develop the ability to cooperate with others using English as a tool of negotiation and persuasion. The topics covered will encourage you to use the general communicative skills typical of an educated user of English, and will include, for example, global citizenship, sustainable development and the impact of environmental, social and economic actions. You will be assessed on the basis of your portfolio of coursework, with particular emphasis on your reading, speaking and vocabulary skills: this will involve a variety of tasks including reading and responding to texts and making short presentations on general topics. Feedback on tasks completed early in the module will help you improve your performance on the later tasks, which will carry most of the marks.

If your English language skills are at B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, this module will help you develop the linguistic skills required to study effectively in a university context, increasing your confidence in the use of the written English language and embedding your readiness for academic study. You will develop the accuracy, precision and fluency of your reading, writing, speaking and listening through a series of tasks that integrate the use of these four language skills, as well as enhancing your awareness of the grammatical and lexical (vocabulary) systems of English. You will increase your ability to understand longer spoken discourse, improving your listening strategies through a variety of tasks requiring you to understand both general messages and implicit meanings. In class, you will work extensively in small groups and pairs to discuss and produce responses to the texts you hear or read: this will include working collaboratively to plan, structure and edit a variety of written output. You will produce structured, detailed written texts with a variety of purposes; feedback on your work will help you improve both the grammatical accuracy and communicative effectiveness of your written English. The topics covered will encourage you to use the general communicative skills typical of an educated user of English, and will include, for example, global citizenship, sustainable development and the impact of environmental, social and economic actions. You will be assessed on the basis of your portfolio of coursework, with particular emphasis on your listening, writing and grammatical skills: this will include listening comprehension and grammar exercises, and a variety of writing tasks. Feedback on exercises completed early in the module will help you improve your performance on the later tasks, which will carry most of the marks.

Optional modules available in years one and two

This module will give you a thorough grounding in and understanding of the grammar of simple sentences of present day English. You will begin by considering what is meant by ‘grammar’ and the difference between descriptive and prescriptive approaches to the grammar of English. Then you will learn about basic word classes (e.g. nouns, verbs, auxiliaries) and how to identify them reliably using grammatical tests. You will also study sentence structure and the idea that language is made up of phrases, again developing tools (diagnostics) to help you identify these phrases (constituents) reliably. A crucial aspect of this will be your ability to identify the basic building blocks of sentences (subjects and predicates). Another will be your familiarity with the complexities of the English auxiliary verb system, and your understanding of the grammatical differences between lexical verbs and auxiliaries. By the end of the module, as well as being able to identify basic categories (e.g., verb, noun and auxiliary), you will be able to diagnose the structure of a given sentence using a set of key diagnostics and to draw tree diagrams to represent this sentence structure. Links to the teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages will be highlighted and some seminar exercises and a part of the assessment will focus on applying what you have learnt to this context. Teaching for this module will consist of weekly two-hour interactive seminars, during which time you will get the chance to discuss exercises which you have worked through at home. You will also be asked to present your findings to the group and to provide peer evaluation and feedback. The assessment will consist of a variety of in-class exercises requiring you to analyse the structure of language samples, including drawing tree diagrams. Feedback on exercises completed during the semester will help you improve your performance on the final in-class test.

This module will give you a thorough grounding in and understanding of the grammar of simple and complex sentences in present day English. You will begin by discussing basic categories (nouns, verbs, auxiliaries) and how to identify them reliably using grammatical tests. You will also study sentence structure and the idea that language is made up of phrases, again developing tools (diagnostics) to help you identify these phrases (constituents) reliably. A crucial aspect of this will be your ability to identify the building blocks of complex sentences, namely noun phrases and clauses, and to understand the notion of movement, whereby a certain word/morpheme may have more than one function in a given sentence. By the end of the module, as well as being able to identify basic categories (e.g. verb, noun and auxiliary), you will be able to diagnose the structure of a given complex sentence using a set of key diagnostics and to draw tree diagrams to represent this structure. Links to the teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages will be highlighted and some seminar exercises and a part of the in-class test will focus on applying what you have learnt to this context. Teaching for this module will consist of weekly two-hour interactive seminars, during which time you will get the chance to discuss exercises which you have worked through at home. You will also be asked to present your findings to the group and to provide peer evaluation and feedback. The assessment will consist of a variety of in-class exercises requiring you to analyse the structure of language samples, including drawing tree diagrams. Feedback on exercises completed during the semester will help you improve your performance on the final in-class test.

Year two, core modules

This module will introduce you to semiotics and structuralism through the work of canonical theorists. You will apply theories of structuralism to a variety of forms of communication, including visual and other media, in order to explore the ways in which structures of language and image inform, develop and control society. You will study the work of Saussure, Barthes, Foucault, Derrida, Irigaray and others, firstly to discover the history connecting structuralism to post-structuralism, and then to apply the ideas of these theorists to various kinds of visual communication to investigate how written, spoken and visual language informs identity, difference, social inclusion and exclusion. By applying structuralism and post-structuralism to fine art, television, film, advertising and other representations of rhetoric and communication, you will advance your understanding of how all modes of communication linguistically structure the world. You will go on to develop tools for navigating and challenging structures of language within a contemporary context, so as to open spaces for new world views, for a general acceptance of difference and for an ‘ecology of meaning’ that can contribute toward sustainable ethical futures. You will work in groups throughout the course discussing interpretations and examples of the reading and giving short group presentations based on the reading. Feedback and reflection on these presentations will help you prepare for the module assessment - an individual 10 minute oral presentation in which you will synthesise ideas discussed in the module, and a written reflection on presentations given by other students and feedback on your own work.

On this module, you'll examine how the effects of increasing globalisation and the expansion of the European Union have been closely monitored and discussed not only in political discourse but in media as well. Cinema and TV are no exceptions, and such media portrayals are of key importance, be it as potential reflections of popular attitudes, ideas and preoccupations towards migration, or their likely impact on popular views and opinions on the topic. You'll investigate how the global perspective goes beyond the exploration of individual films in their national frameworks, and is therefore better equipped to address questions linked to the legacy of globalisation and international migration.

On this module you will produce a research proposal for your major project in English Language, Linguistics or TESOL. You will be given a list of suggested topics or specific projects from which to choose (you may also propose your own topic provided a member of our teaching team has the necessary expertise to supervise it and considers it appropriate). You will learn how to structure a research proposal, to formulate a research question and hypothesis, and to undertake a preliminary literature search to frame your question. You will go on to consider various types of data collection and analysis methods, and how these can be used to address different types of question. The objective is to clearly formulate both your own research question and how you plan to find an answer to it. The module will be delivered through a weekly two-hour workshop. In preparation for each workshop you will be expected to undertake preparatory reading and complete a task; this will prepare you to contribute actively to class discussion and other activities, including presenting your emerging ideas about your project. You will receive feedback on these activities to help in the development of your proposal. Assessment will be through a portfolio of coursework consisting of the various elements of the proposal plus a reflective statement about how you have used feedback received during the module. This module contributes to the development of your employability skills including self-management, problem solving, communication and literacy, IT skills, numeracy and project management.

Year two, optional modules

On this module, you will develop a more sophisticated understanding of spoken text, in particular the linguistic and academic skills applied at university level study. The module will help you to advance your speaking and listening skills in English to at least C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, giving you enhanced communication skills and employability. You will increase your ability to express ideas, and abstract and/or academic concepts, effectively and also to recognise messages or infer implicit meanings in spoken discourse. Discourse types may include lectures, seminars, academic discussion, debate and other types typically used within an academic context. Topics will include, for example, globalisation, intercultural communication, environmental sustainability and education. Alongside a focus on fluency, you will increase your ability to organise your speech effectively and to use the features of spoken language to communicate in academic contexts. You will also develop the natural features of spoken discourse including turn taking, adjacency pairs, discourse markers, hedges, back channelling, repairs and non-fluency features (hesitations, fillers, false starts). In terms of listening, you will extend your ability to interpret contextual influences on meaning, and prosodic features such as intonation, word and sentence stress, rhythm and pitch. You will further develop your understanding of aspects of academic practice including formal discourse and presentations, and will receive guidance about independent learning using the wide range of resources available in our University Library, VLE and Language Centre. In class, you will be expected to participate in pair and group work and to contribute to interactive learning tasks. You will also be required to undertake peer and self-assessment exercises and to reflect on your learning experience. You will be assessed on the basis of your coursework which will involve a variety of tasks including short discussions, debates and extended presentations. Assessment on tasks in the earlier part of the module will allow you to improve your performance at the later stages.

On this module you will consider the history of the English language from its origins to the modern period. To better understand how the language originated and developed, you will touch upon important historical events, but the focus will be very much on the language and how it has changed and adjusted to outside influences. To see evidence of this change in action, you will look at some actual texts from Old, Middle and Early Modern English and discuss central changes in pronunciation, spelling and grammar. You will be assessed by a two-hour in-class test, which includes an essay component as well as shorter analytical and fact-checking questions.

In this module, you will develop a more sophisticated understanding of written text, in particular the linguistic and academic skills applied at university level study. The module will help you to advance your reading and writing skills in English to at least C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, giving you enhanced communication skills and employability. The module focuses on advanced writing skills which will help you to both understand and produce a variety of academic texts. These texts can include essays and other written assignments, abstracts, proposals, literature reviews, annotated bibliographies and other academic text types. You will develop an awareness of genre and will improve your understanding of, and ability to produce, academic writing with appropriate formatting, register and style, coherence and cohesion features. Alongside a focus on analysing text you will increase your ability to write effectively, developing process writing skills such as planning, organising ideas, drafting, proofreading and editing academic work. You will also develop better writing outcomes, working on skills including constructing lines of argument, organising effective paragraphing and using evidence or supporting materials to exemplify content effectively. You will improve your ability to produce discursive text, looking at a range of academic topics such as global citizenship, sustainability, social justice and internationalisation. In addition, you will extend your understanding of aspects of academic practice including accurate referencing or citation and the use of bibliographies and will receive guidance about independent learning using the wide range of resources available in our University Library, VLE and Language Centre. In class, you will be expected to participate in pair and group work and to contribute to interactive learning tasks. You will also be required to undertake peer and self-assessment exercises and to reflect on your learning experience. You will be assessed on the basis of your coursework which will involve a variety of tasks including short writing tasks, academic summaries and an essay. Assessment on tasks in the earlier part of the module will allow you to improve your performance at the later stages.

The British Isles are well known for their diversity in terms of accents and dialects of English. In fact, among all the English-speaking regions of the world, Britain has the highest number of regional dialects. Many of these dialects vary so much that they seem to be virtually unintelligible to English speakers from other regions. In this module you will explore why regional dialects of English in Britain vary so much. You will look at the linguistic properties of different dialects, including phonological and syntactic variation. You will also consider socio-cultural, political and educational variables that influence the shape, form and use of these dialects. In class, you will work extensively in small groups and be expected to give short presentations based on your preparatory reading. You will also provide peer feedback to your classmates and reflect on your own performance. The assessment consists of a portfolio of coursework, including descriptions of the development of specific varieties of British English and analyses of the phonology and syntax of these varieties. To help you prepare for this final assessment, you will be required to submit a short written piece of formative assessment, i.e. you will receive constructive feedback but no mark for it. In your final portfolio you will be required to include reflective comments on how you have addressed this feedback. The formative assessment has to be submitted during the semester at a date specified by your module tutor. Key employability skills developed in this module are teamwork and project management. Key academic skills developed in the module are qualitative data analysis at the level of phonetic and phonological structure and syntactic structure. You will also develop your skills in finding, using and managing digital information.

On this module you will consider the history of the English language from its origins to the modern period. To better understand how the language originated and developed, you will learn about important historical events with a focus on the language and how it has changed and adjusted to outside influences. To see evidence of this change in action, you will look at some actual texts from Old, Middle and Early Modern English and discuss central changes in pronunciation, spelling and grammar. The module is assessed by a 2 hour in-class test, which includes an essay component as well as shorter analytical and fact-checking questions.

In this module, you'll build on your understanding of the sound system of the English language by exploring how sounds are combined to form words and longer utterances in standard southern British English. You'll learn about the structure of the English syllable and the relative prominence of different syllables, the differences between the pronunciation of words in isolation and in natural speech, and the form and functions of intonation. You'll also investigate some of the difficulties involved in representing speech as a series of phonemes.

This module is the first in a series of modules related to English Language Teaching. It will increase your language awareness and give ideas and techniques for teaching language items such as grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. You will examine skills such as reading, writing, listening and speaking in order to identify sub-skills and potential student problems, and assess methods and materials to develop these skills. You will also look at the elements of lesson planning and terminology related to language teaching.
The module is organised into weekly lectures and seminars. The seminars will be interactive, involving you in activities, tasks and presentations and encouraging collaboration with other students.

On this module you will examine a range of medieval English literature, focusing on the late 14th century, and exploring the links between literature and a changing society. You will consider, through careful close reading, the complex relationship between text and context, considering greater realism in the representation of the Judaeo-Christian myth in the context of threats to the feudal system. You will study mystery plays, romances and religious literature alongside selected Tales by Chaucer, and the re-appropriations of myth in a case study that suggests the wider links between myth and ideology. You will examine extracts from each text in the original Middle English, though good recent translations by modern poets will also be available, allowing you to pursue the question of the inevitable re-inflection of myth in changing cultural contexts.

At the heart of this module, you'll discover a number of moral dilemmas that remain both perplexing and largely unresolved. You'll focus mainly on three themes: taking life, giving life, and equality. In the first of these you'll consider issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and animal rights, and in the second, health care matters including IVF and the rationing of health care services. In the third, you'll consider global poverty, punishment, and sexuality. You'll uncover the differing opinions and the complexity of debates surrounding such issues as a woman's right to have a termination or the right of a terminally ill patient to die sooner rather than later. You’ll evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of arguments from politicians, interest groups, and other significant actors in contemporary moral debates, approaching these issues from both sociological and philosophical perspectives. Your assessment will consist of a 3000-word essay.

The vulnerabilities and strengths of, and 'differences' between, human bodies are not only experienced by all of us in our daily lives but are increasingly at the forefront of political and social media debates and controversies. Beginning with the body in history, you'll examine the ways in which biological and sociological understandings of the body underpin various religious, medical and political forms of knowledge and power. You will ask how ideas of the healthy body feed into ideas of agency and personal responsibility that often serve to legitimise forms of social stigma, marginalisation and health inequalities. You'll also examine the ways in which the body is the focus of new forms of technology and the ways in which this technologised body is dissected, bought and sold for medical, cosmetic and sexual purposes. You’ll look at how bodies are deployed as political weapons and expressions. You'll be assessed through a presentation as well as a 2,500-word essay.

On this module, you'll look at the development of the British Empire from the end of the War of American Independence to the end of the Great War. You'll discover how Britain expanded its hold overseas and the developing nature of British Imperial rule, with a balance between looking at individual colonies (the British Caribbean, India, the Opium wars with China, the development of British rule in Canada, etc.) a consideration of general themes underpinning the imperial experience of the British and the peoples of their empire (conflicting theories about the Empire's economic benefits, and the development of imperial consciousness and culture in Britain and of nationalism in the colonies). You'll study the work of medical personnel, missionaries and engineers. You'll engage with different schools of thinking about imperial history, including both the more assertive apologia school and the 'Subaltern' postcolonialist school. Your assessment will consist of a commentary on document extracts provided for the course, and a seen written examination.

In this module you will explore the question of gender, one of the major concerns of contemporary scholarly fields including discourse analysis, media studies, philosophy, cultural theory and feminist criticism. You will investigate the ways in which different modes of expression, through language and the body, create and challenge gender and identity. Your exploration will highlight the importance of gender as an analytical category for comprehending issues such as language acquisition and expression, language and gender as performance, the body in society, power, desire, agency (a capacity to act), and understandings of the human and posthuman. You will consider gender from various perspectives, such as with reference to systems of knowledge and power, the organisation of social relations, lived experience, representations and readings of the body, and challenging gender norms. You will explore these different perspectives through the theories of key scholars, cutting-edge linguistic debates and critical theory, as well as the ways these theoretical perspectives are seen in everyday life and the media. Your developing awareness of gender will also shed light on a series of further questions and approaches, which include sexuality, feminism, trans/intersex modes of being, queer studies, and critical masculinity studies. Overall, you will approach gender as a multi-faceted problem, a highly useful, even experimental
concept, and a set of linguistically learned and expressed practices - expressions, experiences and experiments - that are central to our existence and to identity. You will be expected to give short presentations in class, based on your preparatory reading, and your assessment will consist of a 2500 word essay and a
supporting task.

This module will give you a theoretical overview of the situational and contextual factors that determine genre and equip you with the ability to describe in detail the structural and organisational differences between a range of text types. The ground covered will familiarise you with the organisation of a wide variety of texts, ranging from literary stories to those found in women's magazines and those that make the daily headlines, and from academic essays to text messages and web pages. This will enable you to distinguish between, and to reproduce, the particular contextual and compositional characteristics of many of the texts we encounter in our personal and professional lives. No prior familiarity with text analysis will be assumed: weekly 1 hour lectures will provide the introductory theoretical input, which you will then put into practice and explore in weekly 1 hour followup workshops. In preparation for the workshops, you will be set analytical and observational tasks (both individually and in groups), which you will be asked to report back on.

This module aims to extend and consolidate the language knowledge, teaching skills and methodology covered in TESOL: The Language System. It will help you develop your understanding of language items not dealt with previously and explore ways of analysing and presenting language for teaching at different ability levels. You will be introduced to error analysis and discuss different correction techniques. During the module you will also deal with a variety of ELT published material and authentic material and focus on learner training, learning strategies and teaching English for specific purposes.
This module is organised into weekly lectures and seminars. The seminars aim to be as interactive as possible involving students in micro-teaching, presentations and encouraging you to collaborate with other students. Extracts from videos of teachers in practice will be used to highlight and discuss certain practical issues related to classroom practice.

On this module you'll explore the meanings that were once attached to the British Empire and how some 19th and early 20th century writers expressed their often contradictory and ambivalent attitudes to the imperial project and the responsibilities of running an empire. These writers may include Rudyard Kipling, E.M. Forster, Flora Annie Steele, and George Orwell. You'll then read and analyse selected texts by writers from nations which have won their independence from Britain (for example Derek Walcott and Ama Ata Aidoo), comparing them with texts written from European perspectives. You'll also be introduced to the ideas of post-colonial theorists such as Edward Said, Gayatri Spivak and Homi Babha, and discuss influential critical concepts such as orientalism, the subaltern and mimicry. At the end of the module you'll examine the significance of multicultural ideas and examples of writing produced by both first- and second-generation immigrants to Britain, possibly including some film or television material. Your assessment will take the form of a 3000-word essay.

In this module you will explore the cultural and technological contexts of the publishing of literary works, and the history of the book in Britain, and the effects of globalization on that market. You will examine its styles, types and trajectories, and consider that history in light of the market for books, pamphlets and periodicals, and the issues (such as new technology, new infrastructure, copyright and censorship) that have affected them. You will look at the way authors and editors have exchanged their works with readers and audiences around the world. You will be able to examine and analyse trends and approaches throughout the history of British publishing, and explore the results. Assessment for this module will consist of a short essay and an independently researched portfolio to include a critical assessment of an issue identified in the seminars, accompanied by supporting evidence presented as a blog, a series of slides, an electronic scrap book, or in an alternative electronic format of the student’s own choice.

This module will introduce you to key sociological perspectives on schooling and education. Schooling systems and strategies are instrumental in shaping individual and collective identities, and in reflecting and reinforcing dominant societal values. On this module, you'll engage with the central scholarly and political debates that surround these issues. More specifically, you'll explore how experiences of schooling are shaped by social dimensions such as class, gender, ethnicity and sexuality. You'll consider the basic functions of education, before exploring topics such as the micro-politics of everyday school life; higher education; employability and the knowledge economy; schooling and the negotiation of masculinities and femininities; schooling and sexuality; and schooling, ethnicity and whiteness. Your assessment for this module will be a 3,000 word essay.

This course will introduce you to the development of Britain in the 20th century. You'll examine changes in politics and social structure, focusing in particular on the development of the party political system as well as class, gender, sexuality and the economy. You'll examine key political and social figures (such as David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, the Beatles and Margaret Thatcher), the impact of Total War on twentieth century society, as well as unemployment, consumerism and the changing roles of women. You'll also consider the way that the reform tradition came to embrace the welfare state. You'll find this module useful for understanding many current social and political controversies as it explores how today's Britain came into being. You'll be assessed through an essay and an exam.

This intensive reading and writing module will introduce you to the techniques of print journalism, focusing on news reports and feature articles. The skills required for effective news and feature writing are a key component of writing craft in any genre of fiction or non-fiction. It's a discipline that improves the imaginative work and communicative power of those who practice it. You'll explore the significance of journalistic writing in contemporary life using examples from a range of British tabloid, broadsheet and local publications. You'll practise sourcing news reports, developing feature articles and sub-editing for style and content. In seminar workshops, you'll combine analysis of journalistic techniques with practical writing exercises, covering topics that include: researching and pitching a story; interviewing; puns and rhythm; and economical use of language. Early on, you'll produce a set of briefs that must be approved by the seminar leader, then produce copy for these briefs and, in editorial teams, giving and receiving constructive criticism.

Year three, core modules

The individual Major Project will allow you to undertake a substantial piece of individual research, focused on a topic relevant to your specific course.
Your topic will be assessed for suitability to ensure sufficient academic challenge and satisfactory supervision by an academic member of staff. The project will require you to identify/formulate problems and issues, conduct research, evaluate information, process data, and critically appraise and present your findings/creative work.
You should arrange and attend regular meetings with your project supervisor, to ensure that your project is closely monitored and steered in the right direction.

This module will help you to understand the importance of intercultural competence, global citizenship and the human dynamics of international mobility after you've graduated. It'll give you an understanding of working in different arenas, the effect of culture shock, and the skills and knowledge needed to take up employment successfully in a different culture.
You'll also consider the social and psychological factors influencing international organisations and analyse varying patterns of intercultural communication, helping you look confidently beyond national boundaries in the search for rewarding employment. You'll also gain some insight into graduate careers that involve professional mobility and intercultural competence.
Your assessment is made up of a presentation and an essay.

This is a core PDP module for third year students on the BA International Business degree. It's also a specialist ESP English Language support module for undergraduate students studying in the Ashcroft International Business School and for others seeking a career in the business world in English Language Teaching or any other field where strategies for speaking and communicating are of particular relevance.
You'll take advanced study and practice of written communication in business, preparing you for your future working life, increasing your awareness of your own strengths and skills, and developing your confidence in using written language in the business environment. You'll learn how to produce correspondence and reports used in business, including many aspects of recruitment and selection and data collection and analysis.
You'll particularly focus on the use of functional phrases, register, tone, format and peer identification/correction of errors. Developing these skills will improve your self-confidence in dealing effectively with most situations requiring written responses in the workplace. In addition, you'll be asked to compare a variety of writing styles used in different cultures.
You'll be assessed by a Portfolio of Coursework.

Year three, optional modules

In this module you will focus on language as a symbolic system and practice where meaning is produced and reproduced under specific cultural conditions and is characterised by fragmentation and conflict as much as by cohesion and consensus. You will relate the study of language to issues concerning, for example, identity, cultural power and domination, representation, and real life. You will explore post-structuralist critiques of linguistics, which may include theories of language as a means by which identity is produced through the interconnectedness of language and ideology. In addition, you will encounter the physical body not as ‘natural’ but as a linguistic phenomenon: where the body is a text to be read. Challenging binaries such as mind/body and biological/textual, you will query the role of language in creating bodies and the ways in which the flesh has been historically created through discourse. You will also look at the ways the body has transgressed these discourses. In examining the relationships between language, power and bodies, you will explore the links between language, power, knowledge, ‘truth’ and identity, and extend these links to ecological concerns and the connectedness of the human to the nonhuman and nature. You will learn to question how truth and knowledge are challenged in post-structuralist/ deconstructionist projects, and how this challenge can lead to what is known as posthuman ethics and the ecological revolution: currently known in linguistic philosophy as ‘ecosophy’. You will be expected to give short presentations in class, based on your preparatory reading. Your assessment will consist of a 2500 word essay, requiring you to make connections between different ideas explored in the module, and a supporting task.

More than a billion people world-wide speak English. However, only a fraction are native speakers. This raises the question of whether there is only one English or several 'Englishes'. In this module, you'll analyse the numerous varieties of English spoken around the world, and explore the linguistic properties, as well as the socio-cultural, political and educational variables influencing the shape, form and use of English. Starting with an overview of English in the British Isles, your focus will move across the Atlantic to look at variation within American English, before shifting to the varieties of English in the Commonwealth and former colonies. In the final part of the module, you'll explore the language of diasporas in English speaking countries and emerging hybrid languages. Throughout, you'll learn to analyse linguistic variation from a typological point of view by looking at real speech data from a variety of sources. For the assessment, you'll carry out a typological analysis, either of the varieties discussed in the seminar or of your own choice.

On this module you will acquire in-depth knowledge about a well-defined area of English linguistics as well as the methodological skills to explore it. You will undertake a class project designed to answer a specific research question, for which you will learn to use appropriate quantitative methods and software. You will work collaboratively with other students in class, but will be expected to exercise autonomy in writing up your report. The module will be delivered through a weekly two-hour workshop. In preparation for each workshop you will be expected to read about some aspect of English linguistics or empirical methodology and undertake a preparatory task. This reading will include original research. You will be assessed through a portfolio of coursework for which most of the marks will be allocated to your final project report. You will also undertake supporting tasks during the semester, on which you will receive feedback to help in the development of your work. You will be expected to reflect on how you have used feedback on these tasks to improve your final report. This module contributes to the development of your employability skills including self-management, teamwork, problem solving, communication and literacy, IT skills, numeracy and project management.

On this module, you'll explore how we acquire a first language as children and the processes involved in learning a second. With more people needing to learn languages, or live a bilingual experience, it's essential to understand the mechanisms that operate in language-learning. You'll examine some of the raw data of learner language, and discover various explanatory theories of language acquisition (native and second language), assessing their relative merits. You'll also look at bilingualism and what can be learnt from the experience of bilinguals. You'll be taught through lectures and seminars. In weekly lectures, you'll learn about the topics that you'll explore in the subsequent seminar. This will involve group analysis of data, presentation of material that you've researched, and group discussion. Your assessment will take the form of a written assignment (3,000 words) with sub-components involving analysis as well as exposition.

This module, with a focus on work experience, will help prepare you for targeted entry into the world of multimedia, film, television, cinema, radio, video, teaching, publishing, arts administration and related creative and cultural industries. You'll identify, negotiate and carry out a work placement, or produce a commissioned product, in a chosen area, with guidance from the relevant Course Leader and Module Leader, who will provide ongoing consultation, supervision and support in association with the University's Careers Service. You'll develop a portfolio and write a critical essay, both of which you'll submit at the end of the semester. Your portfolio should include: your CV; copies of a range of academic work (including a DVD showreel, where appropriate); evidence of extra-curricular activities; evidence of work experience. Presentation is crucial to your portfolio, and you should make use of all available multi-media when refining your work. This module will form part of your ongoing programme of Personal Development Planning.

On this module you will explore the way stories are told in films from around the world. You will study key aspects of cinematic narrative structure, including order, duration, cause-and-effect patterns, and the distinction between fabula (story) and syuzhet (plot). You will also examine how character and voice are handled in film, the function of 'point of view', focalisation, and internal vs external characterisation. You will address theoretical aspects such as narrator and narratee, reception theory, suspense vs surprise, the key 'seven' narrative functions, narrative and genre, and the ideology of 'show vs tell'. You will analyse non-narrative (and anti-narrative) aspects of narratives, such as description, iconic shots, music, and other disruptive elements. You will also be thinking about the different roles of words (dialogue, text, sub-titles) and imagery. You will study all of these narrative topics with regard to global cinemas. You will compare and contrast mainstream commercial Hollywood movies with non-American examples, ask to what extent continuity narrative has become the dominant pattern across the globe, examine narrative structures that do not fit the mainstream model, and analyse the intersection of global narratives with diverse identity formations. You will view films and clips from various European countries and non-Western regions, in addition to co-productions and transnational examples. Your assessment will comprise a narrative analysis (1000 words) and a critical (2000 words).

From the music hall to Reality TV, from Victorian melodrama to the soap opera, this module will show you how popular culture has changed in Britain over a 200-year period, allowing you to understand the cultural forms you most enjoy in an historical context. You'll look at the growth of modern media and explore arguments about popular culture such as social control and the emergence of mass culture in Britain. You'll also uncover the extent to which a popular culture (created by the common people) exists or has existed. If you're hoping to enter media-related professions, or just have a general interest in popular culture, this module will give you plenty to think about. Your ability to develop solve complex historical problems in a critical and analytical way will be assessed through two 1500-word essays.

On this module, you'll explore the sociology of 'race', racism and ethnic divisions. You'll consider three related themes: the social origins and significance of racial and ethnic divisions, the varied causes, contexts and consequences of racism and antiracism, and the cultural consequences of migration. Although your primary substantive focus will be on race relations in contemporary Britain, you will also draw insights from historical and international comparisons. You'll also attend a series of student-led workshops, in which you'll apply sociological knowledge and understanding to current questions of 'race' politics and policy. The topics of these workshop will relate to key module themes, such as: the collection and use of racialised data in the criminal justice system, debates about the usefulness of the concept of institutional racism, and globalised Islam.

This module is optional for all students studying Writing in combination with another subject. You will create an online presence for a project within an organisation or group. You will evaluate online social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, blogs) and to choose the ones best suited to your project. You will write a business plan and/or project proposal, build the platform and write the content, and plan an online promotional campaign. The online presence and content will be assessed for effective communication, appropriateness of platform, and quality and professionalism of content. In addition, you will produce an essay that documents and reflects critically upon your project and your choices, and which includes your business plan and your campaign timeline as appendices. Three seminars are provided to teach you practical skills such as writing business plans and proposals, managing finances, and planning an online campaign. The critical reflection is supported by individual supervision to a maximum of 2 hours (you are responsible for making arrangements for these meetings).

This Special Topic module gives you the opportunity to study a topic that will reflect the particular academic interests and/or research of the member of staff teaching it. The module enables you to extend your research of a specific subject area that you may have met earlier in your studies, and in which there is deemed to be scope for more reading, analysis and discussion. A topic may be the study of an aspect of the language system, or an area of applied linguistics, or may involve the interface of linguistics with other disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, psychology or cultural studies. As the designated topics vary from year-to-year you will need to consult with your tutors to check which topics are being offered. This information will be made public in good time for you to be able to make an informed choice. There are no formal lectures and the module is taught in seminars in which group discussion is encouraged. You will be expected to undertake reading and a preparatory task for each seminar, and to reflect on feedback from these tasks in producing your subsequent assignments. Assessment is by coursework portfolio, which may include a spoken element. The module contributes to employability by developing your communication and literacy skills, specifically the ability to produce clear, structured written work and oral literacy, including listening and questioning.

In this module you will study the development of modern science fiction, concentrating on major texts from the postwar period. You are expected to acquire a detailed knowledge of the history of science fiction and a critical understanding of the problems of defining it in relation to other forms of literature. You are also expected to gain an understanding of the distinctive pleasures which science fiction offers its readers. The emphasis is on science fiction as a literature of ideas. In this module you will be concerned primarily with science fiction as a literary form rather than with its manifestations in other media, but the demands of adapting science fiction to other media will be considered. You will read short stories, novels, and critical essays enabling you to develop a detailed knowledge of science fiction from the 1930s to the present day, and gain an understanding of some key science fiction tropes and sub-genres.

This module will build upon and develop your practical classroom methodology, as covered on the TEFL 1 & 2 modules. You'll analyse and evaluate the nature of syllabus design and language teaching methodology, explore theories of both language and learning, and analyse and evaluate teaching methods of the past and present, along with their practical applications for the learner, teacher and language classroom. The methods you'll examine include those such as Communicative Language Teaching, task-based Language Teaching, and the Lexical Approach. You'll also consider the influence of theory and methodology on such areas as teaching grammar and language skills, and the approach to learner and teacher roles and learner errors. You'll be encouraged to discuss and evaluate a range of approaches and methods in order to inform your own teaching techniques, broaden your awareness of a wide range of methodologies, and develop the ability to approach past, current or future methodology in an informed and critical manner.

In this module you will look at a range of fiction written in the last 10 years, examining formal and thematic issues and the relationships between them. You will consider narrative experimentation (the recycling of old stories and forms), the representation of history, posthumanism, globalization, technology. Since there is inevitably an absence of established critical texts on the contemporary works studied, you will consider alternative sources of critical opinion (academic journals, the internet, broadsheet and broadcast journalism); and the ways in which new novels demand and shape new criticism. Your assessment will consist of a 3000-word essay at the end of the semester.

This module will develop your understanding of the relationship between sport, processes of globalisation, and the sphere of international politics. Broadly speaking, the key themes that you'll consider are ideology, power and control. More specifically, you'll be introduced to a set of key theoretical and conceptual insights relating to globalisation, nationalism and commercialisation early in the module. In later lectures and seminars, you'll apply these insights to particular instances from the sporting world. Specific topics you'll consider include 'race' and racism in sport; the Workers' Sport movement, the role of sport in the colonisation of Africa, the history and politics of FIFA, and a number of national case studies including Catalonia and South Africa. You'll be assessed through a 3,000 word essay.

In this module you will be introduced to the art of creative non-fiction, beginning with William Hazlitt and the art of the essay as it has developed in the English Language and exploring the concept of what is creative non-fiction. Using the key text, and additional collections, you will explore issues of style, research, and personal expression. We will further discuss platforms, contexts, readerships and the differences between essaying, and feature writing. For your assessment you will produce a portfolio consisting of three short pieces of writing in different genres of creative non-fiction, and one which will help develop a substantive piece in a genre of your choice.

Optional modules available in levels 5 and 6

The Anglia Language Programme gives you the opportunity to study a foreign language as part of your modular programme. You'll be taking one language module in the second semester of your first year in order to experience the learning of a new language. It's important that you select a language you've never learnt before. The languages offered are: Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish.

Assessment

For a full breakdown of module options and credits, please view the appropriate module structure below:

You’ll show what you have learned through various methods, including exams, in-class assessments, essays, portfolios and assessed presentations. Some modules also involve practical assessments, such as data analysis, which will give you a chance to apply the theory you have learned to ‘real-life’ situations. There will also be non-assessed opportunities to show what you have learned, such as discussions, presentations, language lab work and class exercises.

Where you'll study

Your department and faculty

At the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, we believe in thinking critically about the past, present and future to challenge perceptions and better understand communities and people.

With expertise from gender issues to literary analysis to exploring how the past has shaped our modern world, all our staff members are active researchers. This is reflected in our teaching, allowing us to support our students with the latest theories and practices, as well as essential employability advice.

Where can I study?

Additional study information

Our institution has taught English Language courses for over 50 years. You’ll have access to excellent facilities, including our language centre, multimedia laboratories, an open-access computer room and campus library.

Fees & funding

Course fees

UK & EU students starting 2018/19 or 2019/20 (per year)

£9,250

International students starting 2018/19 (per year)

£12,500

International students starting 2019/20 (per year)

£13,100

Fee information

For more information about tuition fees, including the UK Government's commitment to EU students, please see our UK/EU funding pages

How do I pay my fees?

Tuition fee loan

You can take out a tuition fee loan, which you won’t need to start repaying until after your graduate. Or alternatively, there's the option to pay your fees upfront.

International students

Funding for UK & EU students

Most new undergraduate students can apply for government funding to support their studies and university life. This includes Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans. There are additional grants available for specific groups of students, such as those with disabilities or dependants.

Funding for international students

Entry requirements

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Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements. Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course, please email answers@anglia.ac.uk for further information.

We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.

International students

We welcome applications from international and EU students, and accept a range of international qualifications.

Get more information

UK & EU applicants

International applicants

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